Detergent unit



Nov. 20, 1934.

s. ROSENBLATT 1,981,249

DETERGENT UNIT Filed Dec. 2, 1933 v lnvenTor. Samuel RosenbluTT by -ATTys.

Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETERGENT UNIT Application December 2, 1933, Serial No. 700,658

1 Claim.

This invention has for its object to provide a detergent unit particularly and peculiarly adapted for the cleansing and massaging of the skin.

but also adapted for-the cleansing of various articles.

The nature and objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawing and will be particularly pointed out in the claim.

The article of this invention comprises essentially a core of. soap of suitable quality and character and a rubber integument having the peculiar characteristics hereinafter set forth enveloping the core and forming therewith a unit of suitable size and shape for the purpose.

The drawing illustrates preferred constructions of the article, together with certain steps employed in their formation.

In the drawing:

Fig. l'illustrates a generally rectangular soap core with the envelope partially applied.-

Fig. 2 illustrates the unit of Fig. 1 in its finished form.

Fig. 3 illustrates a soap core of general, ellipsoid or ovoid form with the envelope partially applied.

Fig. 4 illustrates the finished form.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate envelopes cut to fit a rectangular soap core.

Fig. 7 illustrates the complete unit having an envelope of the type shown in Fig. 6.

The core of the detergent unit of this invention may be made of any suitable soap and this soap is preferably in cake form and of any of the usual shapes. Two shapes of soap cake cores of the ordinary type employed for toilet soap are here illustrated. The unit is particularly and peculiarly designed for the cleansing and treatment of human or animal skin and hence a good -quality of toilet soap is preferably employed. The efiicacy of the article for certain purposes may therefore be improved by employing soap having medicinal or other desired properties. When the unit is to be employed for other cleansing purposes, the kind and quality of the soap may be varied to correspond therewith. When the envelope is tightly sealed, soap in flake or granular form may also be employed.

The rubber envelope is preferably made from unit of Fig. 3 in its the wrapping disclosed in the patent to Rosenblatt, No. 1,885,007, granted October 25, 1932. This wrapping in its preferred form consists of a partially depolymerized strip or sheet .of unvulcanized thin pale crepe rubber in which the depolymerization has been carried to such an extent that the sheet of rubber highly retentively possesses the characteristics of non-adherence to the hair or the skin, substantial elastic extensibility, tenacious cohesion when pressed together, and substantial porosity suflicient to permit the passage of air therethrough and, in the case of the present invention, sufiicient to permit the formation of copious lather when the unit of this invention is rubbed in the presence of water. This crepe rubber also possesses the further characteristic highly advantageous in the present invention of-a rough exterior surface. While the surface is rough or irregular, it is nevertheless not hard or angular and is peculiarly suitable for massaging or rubbing the human skin or for rubbing other delicate articles without injury thereto. 7

The wrapping disclosed in the aforesaid pat? ent, No. 1,885,007, of a character suitable for the present invention is preferably produced by the processes described in the companionpatent to Rosenblatt, No. 1,885,008, granted October 25, 1932, but may be produced by other methods.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing there is illustrated a generally rectangular cake of soap 1 forming the core of the detergent unit and a partially depolymerized strip of unvulcanized thin pale crepe rubber 2 such as disclosed in the aforesaid Rosenblatt patents. In forming the article, the strip 2, after being cut to the required width and length, is folded over the core 1. In Fig. 1 one edge 3 of the wrapping is shown folded over the core 1. The other edge 4 is then folded on top of the edge 3. During this operation the envelope is stretched slightly and the edge 4 is pressed firmly down on top of the edge 3 and secured thereto by the 'cohering qualities of the strip. The ends 5 of the strip are then folded in and over on top of the core, being stretched slightly and pressed firmly down, causing the strip to envelop the core and to be self-coheringly sealed at its edges into an elastically extensible integument, as illustrated in Fig. 2. This brings the article into the completed form shown in Fig. 2.

If the soap employed for the core is of the ellipsoidal or ovoidal shape shown at 6 in Fig. 3, the edge 'I may be folded over the core, then the edge 8 in a similar manner to that described folded over and pressed on to the edge '7, at the same time shaping the envelope so that itemforms as closely as possible to the core. The end portions 9 of the thus folded envelope may then be pressed togetherclosely against the ends of the core, causing the strip to cohere and fit snugly around-the ends of the core and then the projecting portions may be cut ofi along the dotted lines 10 in Fig 4. Thus again the wrapping envelops the core and is.self-coheringly sealed at its edges into the desired integument.

- If desired, the wrapping may first be cut to fit as closely aspossible the shape of the soap core employed. In Figs. 5 and 6, two forms of such shaped Wrapping are illustratedr-suitable for use with a core of the rectangular type first described. In Fig. 5, the side flaps 11 m end flaps 12 are just of sufiicient size to be-folded over and cover the size and ends and top of the core and afford suflicient margin to bepressed together into the desired coherence. The joints at the corner may be sealed by pressure or may even be left open if desired. In Fig. 6 the construction is similar ex-. cept that in this case corner-flaps 13 in addition to the side flaps 14 and end flaps 15 are provided so that when the envelope is folded into final position, the unit will have the appearance illustrated in Fig. 7 and the wrapping will completely envelop the coreyand be sealed at all points, the corner flaps 13 covering the corners.

When the unit is constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention as hereinbefore set forth, it is used in practically the same way that a cake of soap is used. When rubbed in the presence of water, a copious lather is produced by the unionof the water and soap through the porous envelope. When rubbed upon the human skin, it acts gently to massage the skin, to soften and remove all the dirt from the pores and thoroughly to cleanse the skin. 'Repeated use leaves the skinv soft, clean and of light color. It may be used, with a suitable form of soap, on the face,

' Patent, is:.

hands, or other part of the body with great advantages thereto. It is also very satisfactory for use in shaving.

While, as preferable, the rubber envelope completely envelops the core, it may be open in places, that is, it need not completely envelop the core and still secure highly desirable results.

Since the envelope is made of the wrapping disclosed in the aforesaid Rosenblatt patents, the unit is peculiarly eflicacious because the wrapping of these patents has very similar characteristics to the human skin itself.

The detergent unit of this invention is not only useful and desirable for cleansing and treating the human skin, but also may be used for cleansing a wide variety of articles.

When the soap is partially used up, the wrapping may be pinched together to conform to the diminished size of the soap and the extended portions of the wrapping cut off, the self-cohering characteristic of the wrapping permitting this readily to be done.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secure by Letters A detergent unit comprising a core of soap and a partially depolymerized sheet of unvulcanized thin pale crepe rubber enveloping the core and self-coheringly sealed at its edges into an elastically extensible integument, non-adherent to hair or skin, and sufliciently porous to secure. when the unit is rubbed in the presence of' water, the formation of a copious lather which in conjunction with the rubber'efi'ects the detergent action.

SAMUEL ROSENBLATI. 

